


Hollywood Grail War

by PiermanWalter



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Biblical Allusions (Abrahamic Religions), Religion, Summoning Circles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25608697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiermanWalter/pseuds/PiermanWalter
Summary: In 1948, as the Cold War begins, mage families and global superpowers battle over the Holy Grail. The Grail War is derailed by a strange Assassin who refuses to play by the rules.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Hollywood Grail War

While the rest of the Tosaka family pantomimed a grand summoning ceremony with guests from all over the country and heavy security at the main estate, mage prodigy Sachiko Tosaka let fine amethyst powder stream from between her fingers onto the floor of an abandoned shack on Mount Kita. 

The lines of ground jewels swirled and overlapped to form a summoning circle with a catalyst in the center: a brick from the original Tower of Babel. The religious importance of this object combined with her family’s history of devotion should summon a Biblical figure, hopefully one powerful enough to win a Holy Grail War. 

Everything had to be perfect. To prepare, she practiced for days on end, drawing the summoning circle in flour. After she perfected its shape, Sachiko realised the texture of flour and gems were different, and insisted on practicing again with sand. She wrote and memorised a suitably pious and worshipful script of what to say in front of a saint. A saint would appreciate modesty, so she wore a long Western-style skirt. She tied up her dark hair and wore a brimmed hat over it. Sachiko even carried a small box of dried figs, food common in that era, although how to work it into a Master-Servant conversation she wasn’t sure. She couldn’t bribe a saint with food the same way she fed cats. It seemed irreverent. 

Sachiko kneeled in front of the finished circle and placed her hands down, careful to touch the circle without disturbing it. A burst of golden light shot straight up out of the catalyst. Channeling her magic into it, calling out to the realm of heroes, she chanted, “Twelve paths, one transcends, one descends. Ten wind eternally. Will for strength, glory for substance, devotion for victory. In faces of stones, in stains of ink, in names of living. Come to me and walk this earth again.”

The bond was already forming. She could feel the Servant’s emotions overlapping her own. Was it pride? A saint wouldn’t be so prideful towards themselves. Was the saint proud of her?

Sachiko heard footsteps behind her. There was someone else in the room. She turned in shock, barely remembering to keep her hands on the circle.

He wore robes, looked vaguely like a high-ranking priest, but was even younger than she was. Sachiko couldn’t identify which religion he belonged to. Best to play it safe and not assume him to be of her own faith. 

“You can’t rest here, traveller. Don’t distract me. This is very dangerous. You should leave.” Sweat poured down her face from the stress of speaking while channelling so much magic. Her silk scarf stuck to her neck. She had to break her attention away from him, facing the circle once again. The fine lines of gem powder were starting to smear and she willed them back into shape. 

“I’m a mage and I know you’re a mage, Sachiko Tosaka. Let go of the summoning circle. I can’t let any more servants on Earth.” How did he find her? Was the decoy summoning not good enough? Sachiko was suddenly struck with fear for her family’s safety.

“Get away from me!” Sachiko spared some magic to send small piles of unused jewel powder outside the circle flying at him. The blast barely made him take a single step back and Sachiko’s vision swam.

“Look. We don’t need to fight. I already fought and killed mages because they wanted to keep summoning. I don’t want to kill you too. Please stop before it’s too late.”

“I can’t. I have to keep summoning.”

“I can help you. Is it your family? If you’re worried about your family finding out, I can take you to-”

“No! I already spoke the incantation.” Glowing Command Spells burned into the back of her right hand.

“I have no choice. No one deserves the power of a Holy Grail.” With grim resignation the mage gestured with his left hand, symbols bursting out of his palm. 

Although the symbols were Goetic, not her area of expertise, she recognised some Universal Alchemic symbols for acid and putrefaction. If she didn’t act fast, Sachiko would soon die in agony. But her own magic was drained from summoning. She could feel the magic of her unknown Servant pounding up the back of her head, like someone hammering desperately against a locked door.

“Servant! As Master I order you to defeat this enemy!”

Two beams shot out of the still formless mass of light in the middle of the circle. Materialising into arrows as they flew, they collided with the enemy mage with such force he was thrown backwards. As he hit the wall, the arrows kept going, punching through the mage and the wall as if they weren’t there. He coughed, and fletching feathers fluttered out of a hole in his chest, followed by a gout of blood. As the mage slumped, a new voice boomed.

“How generous to provide prey before introduction! As the hunter surpassing all hunters deserves!”

Sachiko turned unsteadily to face the circle and bore witness to a towering figure clad in gold-trimmed bronze armor and ornate linen. His bearded face, unobscured by a pointed helmet, wore an expression of manic arrogance. He held a massive brass-tipped bow, taller than he was.

“I am son of Cush, grandson of Ham, great-grandson of Noah. I am Nimrod, King of Babel, and I fight to defy God!”

So much for a pious ancient saint. What a longwinded title. But Westerners named their ships Nimrod. Perhaps his fame in other countries gave him strength. Sachiko had to greet him with as much authority as a king. Try as she might, Sachiko couldn’t remember a single line from her prepared script and it no longer seemed appropriate. Shaking the image of the bleeding mage out of her head and ignoring his gasps behind her, taking a few seconds to slow her own breathing, Sachiko stood up and replied. 

“I am Sachiko Tosaka. I summoned you here. From now on, you are only to refer to yourself as Archer. We will face strong enemies and if they know your true identity, they will find your every weakness and exploit them.”

“Fools! I have no weaknesses! God Himself had to strike me down.”

“I know your strength.” Sachiko gestured towards the enemy mage. During the conversation, the mage had slid to the flood and died, his shoulders laying at an impossible angle to his lower body. Perhaps the arrows shattered his spine and ribcage, or severed him in half inside his clothes. Sachiko tried to remain impassive. She would likely see worse soon. If Archer was this powerful while only half-summoned, did that mean he was truly more powerful? “But as of now we know nothing of our enemies.” Sachiko noticed she was nervously pulling on the ends of her scarf and clasped her hands behind her back to stop. “They may be powerful servants of God. Or even other Gods.”

“Heathen deities? Hmmm… Are enemies of God friends of mine?” Sachiko was amazed to see this bombastic man stop and think for once. “IT MATTERS NOT! They too shall perish.”

Working with this Servant could be dangerous and heretical. Archer seemed to be the antithesis of her faith, and Sachiko had to confirm their victory wouldn’t lead to the collapse of Heaven or something along those lines.

“Archer.” He grimaced at the sound of his undignified new name, but otherwise didn’t protest. Sachiko continued, “If we win the Holy Grail War-”

“WHEN we win the Grail War. When!”

“When we win the Holy Grail War, what will you wish for?”

Archer slammed the tip of his bow into the ground, the sound of brass hitting stone ringing out. Sachiko couldn’t help but flinch.

“God drove Mankind to confusion to prevent us from surpassing Him! What good came from His act? War and hatred are begotten by confusion! God would rather Mankind’s suffering continue than recognise our greatness! My wish is to return all of humanity and their works to a single common language to begin a new age of understanding, so God may gaze upon his mistakes and weep!”

The tirade of blasphemy nearly sent Sachiko reeling but the substance of the wish itself was… fine. It did not conflict with her family’s wishes and was a noble cause to fight for. But Archer had to be kept under control at all costs. Sachiko mentally prepared to be the world record shortest Servant contract holder.

“From now on, you are only to refer to me as Master. I summoned you and I will be your Master as is the way of all Holy Grail Wars. Obey my commands and enact my will.”

To her great surprise, Archer laughed warmly. “You are a strong girl! You turn your back on a defeated enemy because you are sure of his death. I call you Master over God!”

Sachiko’s heart sang with relief. She managed to negotiate with such a terrifying Servant without using a single command spell. Or the box of figs.


End file.
